I'll be blind if you'll be deaf
by BlueFireIce
Summary: Can a ceiling collapse and Mai in a coma force Naru into his senses or will he continue to be dense and rude to the blossoming psychic? One shot, rating is subject to change


**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or its characters**

He sat at her bedside, book in hand. If someone had walked in, he would have pretended to read, but since no one was there, he let the book sit on his lap. Her face was pale and there was machinery beeping beside him. The man wanted nothing more than to hear her speak but it currently wasn't possible. The brunette was in a coma from a case. It wouldn't have happened if he wasn't such a callous person.

_A few days ago_

"No, you will stay here, Mai." His voice was cold. He was still mad at her from earlier and the little stunt she had pulled, putting her safety in jeopardy. Luckily no one was hurt from the piece of roof that had fallen, since he had gotten her out of the way just in time, but he was pretty pissed at her recklessness.

"Naru, you know I can help. I don't know why you are so mad at me but I think I should be there." Mai protested, her hands on her hips. The black haired man's eyes narrowed.

"I don't care what you think. On most of these cases I am saving you from being harmed because you _don't_ think about the consequences of your actions. I don't have time to save you. I have a case to solve." His words were scathing and he saw the woman across from him stiffen. A small part of him was worried that she would start crying but instead he watched as her eyes hardened. The brunette was no longer the young sixteen year old girl he had known all of those years ago. Ever since he had come back after being gone for two years, he had noticed a severe change in the young woman. Her emotions weren't worn on her sleeve and she wasn't nearly as playful as she once was with him.

"Go, then. Solve your case." Mai's words were harsh and quiet and Naru knew there was something else she wanted to say, so he waited. There was a subtle movement in her mouth and he could tell she was biting the inside of her cheek but whether that was from anger or being upset, he did not know. The genius waited a while longer but the young woman in front of him said nothing so he turned and started for the door.

"Don't bother saving me anymore, Oliver." Mai whispered as Naru shut the door but he had heard her. And for the first time in a long while he heard pain in her voice. But he kept walking, his pride not allowing him to turn back. Not taking her was something he heavily regretted. The ghost that they were trying to exorcize had moved from the room and hurried to where Mai was but by the time they realized that the ghost had left, it was much too late. There was a very loud bang and all of the men in that room had hurried to go and find Mai. Ayako had been called at the hospital and couldn't come and Masako had a show so the only female left was Mai.

Once they reached the base room where Mai had been told to stay, they found that the ceiling in there had collapsed, like it had in the other room. Naru could only hope that the brunette hadn't listened to him and instead snuck out to follow. She should have gone with them…but it was too late for that. And somehow the great Oliver Davis knew that she was somewhere under that ceiling. It felt like a punch to his heart when they found her body under the rubble. There was a heartbeat, though faint, and there was a lot of blood but there was no reaction from her.

When they got her to the hospital and explained what had happened, the doctors rushed her around and finally, the group was told that her head was hit and that they were afraid that she was going to be in a coma but they couldn't be completely sure until the end of tomorrow. The cuts and bruises were heavy and all over her body. The doctor said that there might be brain damage but they wouldn't know until she woke up.

_Now_

Three days later and she still hadn't woken up. There had been minor swelling on her head but it went away and the doctors said they were hopeful that no brain damage would occur but that she was in a coma and they had no prediction of when she would come out of it. The news irritated Naru but he knew there was nothing he could do.

The blue eyed man felt guilty. For the first time in a year she had shown him a little bit of the pain she still held inside. Ever since he had come back, Mai had pretended she had said nothing to him from when he left for England. Her playfulness had severely decreased around him and she took her work more seriously than she had when she was younger. It worried him but it wasn't Naru's place to say anything about it.

And now he worried that she would never be able to show him the feelings she kept deep inside of her. She had grown so much yet he had still treated her like a little girl, like a person who didn't know anything. According to Monk, she hadn't shown anyone how upset she had been at him leaving. From what he had deduced, no one but Mai and him knew about when she told him that she loved him. The brunette had kept it a secret for three years now and kept all of her anger inside much like he did. Naru hated seeing her like that. It felt wrong to him.

His heart raced as he saw Mai's hand move. She reached up to yank the thing out of her throat but Naru's hand stopped her and she opened her eyes and looked at him, confusion on her face. But when she glanced around, she stopped struggling and put her hand back down. Clearly she was uncomfortable with the thing in her throat but she would wait for the doctor. Naru called them and quickly a doctor and nurse came in and removed the tube from her throat, making Mai cough a little bit.

"How are you feeling, Taniyama-san?" The doctor asked. The nurse checked all of the equipment on Mai while they talked.

"Confused and uncomfortable." Her voice was raspy but that was to be expected. "And thirsty."

"All are perfectly natural reactions. I will bring you some ice chips. Does your head hurt?"

"A little bit, yeah. I feel a little sore but to be honest I mostly feel a bit hazy. I can't remember how I got here." Her face scrunched up a little in irritation but the look went away quickly.

"Well that is normal as well. I will be back to check up on you in an hour." The doctor left and the nurse followed along with the promise of ice chips. Mai turned to Naru with a look of confusion on her face.

"I'm going to assume it was a case that put me in here." He nodded the affirmative to her statement. "That's no surprise there."

"A ceiling fell on you." Naru said and Mai nodded, no surprise registering on her face.

"I am a magnet for trouble. Did I piss a ghost off?" Naru shrugged. Mai cocked her head in confusion. "Have you not finished the case?"

"It was finished two days ago. We couldn't figure out why the ghost attacked you. Lin says it is because you were alone in base and so you were an easy target. I think he may be right." Naru explained. The stoic man managed to keep the relief of her being awake out of his voice.

"That sounds pretty logical. Probably was the case." Mai coughed again, her throat itchy. Suddenly Naru saw the brunette stiffen and her eyes narrowed just a little. "Why was I alone in the base?"

"I told you to stay there while we went and exorcized the ghost." His voice was quiet, the only sign of remorse he showed. The brunette blinked a few times, processing what he said. Clearly she was trying to remember something. He was unable to tell if she had remembered it or not because nothing gave away information on her face. She was good at hiding her emotions.

"Have you told the others I am awake, yet?" She turned to look away from him. Her voice was professional. Naru cringed. She remembered.

"No, but I will." Naru got up and left the room to make a call. Mai closed her eyes as memories bombarded her from the case. So Naru had done as she had asked and hadn't saved her. But she couldn't hold that particular part against him. They clearly hadn't known the ghost was going to go after her and the ceiling had collapsed too quickly for her to react. So it wasn't his fault he couldn't save her and it wasn't his fault that the ceiling had collapsed on her either. It was just something that happened. His words, on the other hand, were something she could blame him for. But she had to stop. It was just going to be another thing she tucked away in the corner of her heart.

"Here are some ice chips, Taniyama-san." The nurse had come back in and handed her a cup full of ice chips. Mai thanked the woman and started letting the little chips melt on her tongue. The liquid felt nice to her throat and she said nothing as Naru came back in and the nurse left.

"Has the paperwork for the case been finished yet?" It was business as usual with her now. Naru really didn't like her lack of emotion.

"Lin finished it." Naru said and his assistant nodded her head while she put another chip into her mouth.

"Do we have another case lined up yet?" Mai asked and then winced a little when she moved her arm. She lifted it to see that her elbow was bruised along with all of the other bruises that littered her body.

"No, not yet." Naru sighed. "You're lucky that no bones were broken."

"Yeah, I suppose I am. It could have been much worse." Mai said. There was a large gash on her arm that had been stitched and bandaged. "Is there a mirror I could use?"

Naru got up and looked about and found one in one of the drawers. It was a large hand mirror. He brought it over and watched as Mai examined her bruised face. She had a few cuts across her forehead and one down her cheek. The ones on her forehead had healed and were turning into scars but the one on her cheek still had a bandage on it. There was a bruise on her cheek and all on her neck. It wasn't too bad all things considered.

"A little makeup could help with this. The bruises aren't too deep since they don't sting when I touch them." Mai said while gently poking at a bruise. Naru felt guilt at her comment. If he hadn't ordered her to stay, she would be fine. But the first time she actually did exactly as told, she got hurt. Her instincts protected her more than he had.

"Mai!" Monk slammed open the door and rushed over to Mai and hugged her, being gentle about it.

"Bou-san!" Mai hugged him back and laughed at his enthusiasm.

"It's so good to see you awake and moving." There were tears in the monk's eyes and he sat on the edge of the bed next to Mai.

"Don't cry! You'll make me cry!" Mai said, a few tears in her eyes. The two laughed and hugged again. Suddenly more people came into the room, trying to catch their breath.

"Could you have run any faster, monk?" Ayako grumbled but then perked up and hurried over to Mai and hugged her. John and Masako hugged the woman as well and Lin gave a pat to her head.

"I'm happy to see you guys." Mai said and they talked. Naru felt stabs of guilt and irritation while watching everyone interact with her. They got to see her playfulness, her happiness. But he and she had lost that and it was his entire fault. It wasn't that he didn't return her feelings those three years ago but was afraid of his own and projected that on to her. And with that she had turned away from him, afraid to put herself out there again. According to Ayako, she hadn't dated since he left and she hadn't dated since he had come back either.

"Excuse me, everyone. I need to check on Taniyama-san." The doctor said and everyone stepped back while he examined the young woman. All of her vitals checked out just fine.

"Do you remember anything yet or is it all still fuzzy?" Naru cringed, not wanting to hear the answer.

"I remember up until the ceiling collapsing on me." Mai said and the doctor seemed impressed.

"Well that is certainly a wonderful improvement. How are you feeling now as opposed to an hour ago?"

"A little more sore but nothing too bad. Things aren't as hazy but my throat is itchy. Will the pain get worse as the day progresses?" Mai asked.

"We aren't sure. If it does, let us know and if it hits a point where it is too much, call a nurse with this button." He pointed to a button and Mai nodded her head. "Your throat will probably stay itchy for a while due to the tube that had been down it. That should wear off before the day is over. We are going to keep you on ice chips for the rest of the day and see tomorrow how well your body will handle water."

"Thank you, doctor." Mai bowed her head and the doctor bowed a little back before leaving the room. Everyone surrounded her again and chatted for a while before Lin suggested they let Mai sleep.

"I've been asleep for three days now, though." Mai protested but covered her mouth when a huge yawn came out. They all laughed and the brunette blushed and stuck out her tongue.

"Your body needs to rest and heal up. You'll get better the more you sleep." Ayako patted the young woman on the head and everyone said their goodbyes. Naru left as well, relieved that his assistant was okay.

_A week later_

"It feels wonderful to be outside again." Mai smiled at the breeze that drifted past her face. Lin and Naru had come to pick her up now that the doctor had released her. The doctor said that the gash from her arm would most likely leave a permanent scar but that everything else had ended up just fine and that the bruises would be completely gone in a month.

"It's nice to see you back on your feet again, Taniyama-san." Lin gave a small smile to his coworker and she smiled back at him as they got in the car. She and Naru had yet to say anything to each other since when she had woken up in the hospital. There wasn't anything she could think of to say. He had hurt her, deeply, and she wasn't sure how to forgive him anymore. The brunette had been trying for three years to pretend she had never told him she loved him because she still did. Moving past something like that was beyond difficult for her.

And with the last case having put her in the hospital because Naru treated her like she was a little kid still made things awkward and difficult between the two. She couldn't tell if he felt any form of remorse for his actions and that was what was bothering her the most. Mai was feeling a little sick to her stomach at the thought of all of it but she felt maybe it was time to start letting go and move on. Clearly Naru felt she was a burden, he had made that much known, and if that was all she was to him, then she didn't want to love him anymore.

Nothing was said in the car as they headed toward her apartment. Lin wasn't someone who filled the silence with idle chit chat and Naru and Mai had nothing to say to each other yet at the same time they had oh so much to say as well. It was painful for the brunette to see the man she had loved for all those years act so stoic to her. How was she supposed to talk to him when anything she said was thrown in her face and her ideas were called idiotic? How had she even managed to fall for the man in the first place?

"Thank you for picking me up and dropping me off." She said as she hopped out of the car. Mai headed toward her apartment but heard a car door shut again and she turned to find Naru walking up the steps and following her. The brown eyed girl could have rolled her eyes so far back that she would have seen her brain. She did not want to deal with him right now. She just wanted a decent meal that didn't taste beyond bland and a nice hot cup of tea…alone. But no, he was going to follow her, that much she knew.

"Did you want to come in or were you just making sure I could make it up the steps?" While the words sounded innocent and possibly even playful, the tone was scornful. Mai was angry and hurt over the last comment Naru had left her with before a ceiling collapsed on her. And she didn't want him saving her anymore if that was all she was to him; a burden he had to go and rescue.

"I'd like to come in. We need to talk." His voice was calm and she sighed but opened the door and walked in, not shutting it behind her to indicate he could come into her apartment. Naru stepped inside and shut the door behind him and took a seat at her very small dining table while she bustled about and made a pot of tea. The smell was comforting after having her gone for a week and a half.

"I'd feel more comfortable sitting on the couch." Mai said as she took the cups of tea over to the couch and set them on a coffee table. The raven haired man followed and sat down, leaving a seat between the two of them.

"You're angry at me." Oliver didn't like to dance around subjects and it was about time he addressed this one. He watched as the brunette rolled her eyes and scoffed into her tea cup.

"I can't imagine why." That was her mumbled response and Naru set the tea down, turning to look at her directly.

"You've been angry with me for a long time; ever since I came back from England." It had been painfully obvious to everyone her less than excited welcoming of him back into her life.

"Same answer: I can't imagine why." She too had set down her tea cup and turned to stare, hard, at the man across from her. He was twenty and she was nineteen. It had been three long years since her confession to him. But he watched her for a minute and then saw her sigh, her shoulders slumping and her body giving off obvious signs of defeat. "Look, Naru, I know what I said when you left for England and I remember your response. I know what you said on the last case and I remember my response. I'm sure my confession was awkward for you, putting you in a position you weren't comfortable with, and I'm sorry for doing that to you. I'm sorry that you have to save me on all the cases but I mean it, Oliver. I meant what I said and I know you heard me: Don't bother saving me anymore."

"Mai," He started but she held up her hand, indicating for him to stop his speech right then and there.

"I'm moving on from you." She turned her head, looking at the tea cup that sat on the table. Naru felt his heart clench but he waited to hear her words. "I figure it's about time I do and I'm sorry that it has sat between us for so long, making things uncomfortable. I can't love a man who finds rescuing me a burden and, since I can't change how you feel about me, I have to change how I feel about you."

"I don't find rescuing you a burden or else I wouldn't do it." His words were harsh but she just shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"You have a sense of compassion and honor but even the most honorable get fed up saving the same person over and over again. You continue to rescue me because you have placed that responsibility upon your shoulders but it doesn't mean you don't find it a burden. It's alright though, I understand. I can look after myself now and sure, I may be accident prone, but that just means I'll have to be extra careful from now on. It's about time I started looking out for myself…for my physical and emotional well-being." Naru winced a little at her last bit.

"You've kept your confession a secret from everyone for three years. Only you and I know about it. And with my rejection you still held on to your feelings for me. Why give up now?" Naru sounded curious and Mai just shrugged her shoulders. Why did he care anyways?

"I'm tired of fighting for someone who can't reciprocate my feelings. I don't want to live my life pining after you: a man who doesn't feel the same way about me as I do about him. That's just not something I can do anymore." Naru noted her voice, how tired it sounded. He scoffed.

"How could you possibly know my feelings when I have said nothing of how I feel about you?" Mai turned to him with a sad but knowing smile when he asked that. It gave him a horrid feeling.

"I know people say actions speak louder than words and, if we lived in a deaf world, I would still be going after you, thinking you loved me. Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will always hurt me. You know how emotional I can be and that I take things out of context, in context, and in every sort of context that exists. But with you…I take things in context. You're a literal person most of the time, keeping to yourself and speaking your mind when you deem it necessary. You give facts, not feelings. You say what you mean and mean what you say. I've never really been able to take how you are any other way." And Naru could finally see where she was coming from.

He had saved her many times, had made sure she was okay and not hurt. He provided her a job, a steady income to help her pay for things, and had even bought her lunch once or twice when she had left her wallet at home. But his words said so much of the opposite. He called her stupid, idiot, childish, incapable and so many other things that he couldn't even remember. He never gave her any verbal indication that he enjoyed her presence. Why should his actions override his words? How could he tell her that he loved her when he was taken literal? His words would contradict everything else he had said. Then the genius had an idea that he hoped she would understand.

"Do you have ear plugs?" His question was met with a confused yes and he asked Mai to retrieve them. When the brunette came back with them, Oliver asked her to put them in her ears. She asked why but he just shook his head and told her to put them in her ears. Finally she complied. He took her hand and pulled her up from the couch and led her to the door. When he started putting on his shoes, she followed suit. Mai knew he was up to something, and why he had her wear ear plugs for it was something she wasn't sure of, but she was going to follow him and do what he was asking.

He led the two of them outside and started down the steps. As they were headed down them, she nearly tripped but he caught her arm and steadied her before she could fall. Mai went to thank him but Naru shook his head and put his finger to his lips, effectively hushing her. Neither said anything as he started walking down the sidewalk, her beside him. It was odd, everything around her quiet and muffled, almost silent but it was even odder that Naru had asked her to wear the ear plugs.

And they didn't actually do anything but walk around town a while. When she would almost run in to people, Oliver would gently move her closer to him and out of their way before gently releasing her. Whenever the brunette would almost trip he would steady her, making sure she was alright and ready to go before releasing her. As sun started to settle on to the horizon and the air started to cool down, he gave her his coat when she shivered. Finally they ended up back at her place and the two came inside and sat on the couch. She pulled out the ear plugs and gave him a curious look.

"Why did you want me to wear ear plugs, Naru?" He should have known that it was an abstract idea based upon a statement she had probably given only little thought to. But that was Mai and she was a different person than Naru was and needed explanations to many things he did.

"I want you to live in a deaf world when it comes to me." It took her a moment to process his statement and the confused looks Mai gave Naru almost made him smile but he sat patiently until a look of realization dawned on her face.

"And when it comes to you, I will be blind if I have to." His second statement only confused her. With a sigh, Naru took her hand and she gave him an odd look. "If to you, my actions speak what I can't seem to say, then stay deaf. And, if to you, my words mean so much more than my actions, I will remain blind and give off my thoughts with words instead of actions if that is what you need."

"Naru…" Her voice was quiet and shocked but Mai didn't know what to say. Oliver leaned in and placed his forehead against hers and she closed her eyes, keeping any tears at bay. He leaned in and gave her a kiss, gentle and sweet. She returned the gesture and soon after they stopped, her eyes still closed but he had closed his as well.

"I love you, Mai." He whispered the words that he hadn't been able to say three years ago. If that was what she needed to love him, he would bite back his pride and give her the words she needed to hear. Naru heard her choke back a sob and his eyes flew open but he was quickly hugged by her, a gesture he reciprocated.

"I love you, Naru, Oliver, Kazuya, whoever you are." She let out a laugh and a few tears streaked down her cheeks but she held on to him, cherishing the feeling she had longed for ever since she realized she loved him. They pulled away and she smiled at him, now holding his hand again.

"Don't take my words so literally anymore." His tone was serious and she laughed a little.

"I'll try if you try to be more verbal about your feelings." Naru smirked at her and leaned in to kiss her again, shutting her up and enjoying himself for the first time in a long time.

**A/N:** Alright, so I know this was cheesy and I need to be working on not only A Boy's Shadow but also A Strange Office Romance. Don't worry, I have chapters ready for both of those stories but I am following the posting schedule of A Boy's Shadow and am editing the rest of A Strange Office Romance.


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